Ball-joint support device for a rail conductor of a current-collecting system

ABSTRACT

Stationary support device for a current-distributing rail conductor cooperating with sliding current-collecting means. A pair of opposite support shoes engage the rail laterally and are complementary shaped to the side walls of the rail to admit of sliding movement of the rail within the support device pursuant to thermal expansion and contraction of the rail. Resilient clamp means urge the shoes against the rail and interposed ball-joint means permit small pivoting movements of the rail without causing jamming of the latter in the support device.

United States Patent Laurent et al.

[ 1 Nov. 19, 1974 BALL-JOINT SUPPORT DEVICE FOR A RAIL CONDUCTOR OF A CURRENT-COLLECTING SYSTEM Inventors: Daniel Laurent, Grenoble; Hubert Ligones, Saint-Egreve, both of France Assignee: Societe Dauphinoise Electrique,

Grenoble, France Filed: May 23, 1973 Appl. N0.: 363,259

Foreign Application Priority Data June 6, 1972 France 72.20396 US. Cl 191/32, 238/151, 238/243, 238/306 Int. Cl 860m 1/30 Field of Search 238/151, 263, 244, 198, 238/208, 187, 196, 201-205, 217, 259, 243, 306; 191/32 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1914 Field et a1 238/196 8/1916 Tanimine ..238/263 10/1957 Delfox ..238/208 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher '4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIEL NOV I 91974 SHEET 2 OF 2 0 mm mm mm on 9 BALL-JOINT SUPPORT DEVICE FOR A RAIL CONDUCTOR OF A CURRENT-COLLECTING SYSTEM This invention relates to a support device for a current-distributing rail supplying current to currentcollecting means sliding along the rail and relates more particularly to a support device slidably supporting the rail to permit thermal expansion and contraction movements of the rail on its support.

The copending application, Ser. No. 201,510, filed Nov. 23, 1971, now US. Pat. No. 3,790,725 granted Feb. 5, 1974, discloses an insulating support arrangement allowing for longitudinal sliding movement of a conductor rail relative to stationary support members thereof pursuant to thermal expansion and contraction of the rail. The support members described ensure an accurate positioning of the rail but it has been found that under certain conditions dust and ice agglomeration may cause a jamming of the rail in its support, especially if the rail is supported by long overhanging transverse support arms.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple support device permitting free longitudinal thermal motion of the rail in its support and which renders jamming of the rail practically impossible, even under extreme bad-weather and dust conditions. An ancillary object is to improve the mounting facilities of the rail on the support members thereof with less stringent alignment requirements for the clamp members.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention may be more fully understood upon reading of the following description of some embodiments of the invention which are diagrammatically shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional elevational view of a support device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational side view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing in full lines the normal operating position of the rail and in dashed lines an (exagerated) oblique position of the rail; and FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the invention viewed as in FIG. 1.

In the different figures corresponding elements are designated by like reference numerals.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a conductor rail 10, such as an extruded aluminum rail, having an upper V-shaped contact surface 12 adapted for slidable engagement with movable correspondingly shaped current-collecting contact shoes (not shown). The side faces of the rail have truncated-V-shaped recesses or fishing spaces comprising dihedral plane faces 14 and 16 which are engaged by correspondingly shaped plane faces of a pair of generally wedge-shaped support shoes 18 and 20, one of which is disposed on each side of the rail. An insulator 22 supports the shoes 18 and 20 and the rail through a clamp member 36, 38, 40 and a plurality of support devices as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is spaced apart along the rail to support the latter at convenient intervals.

The back or outer side of the shoes 18 and defines a spherical socket or recess 24, 26, respectively, which is concentric with an associated spherical socket 32, 34, made in the confronting inner side of the flanges 36, 38, respectively, of the clamp members. A ball 28 is lodged in the sockets 24 and 32 and another ball in the sockets 26 and 34 so as to provide a pair of balljoints. Each socket has a total ball-engaging surface which is smaller than the surface of a semi-sphere to permit a small universal rotary motion of the shoes with respect to the clamp member. The latter comprises a U-shaped bracket having a flange 36, which forms a unitary structure with the web portion 40, and another flange 38 which extends substantially parallel to the flange 36 but which is pivotally mounted at its lowermost end to the web portion 40 by a cylindrical roller 42 lodged in semi-cylindrical recesses of the flange 38 and of the web portion 40, respectively. A resilient wire spring 44 embraces the flange 38 and urges the latter towards the flange 36. The spring 44 holds at the same time the roller joint 42 in position.

It will be clear that the spring 44 urges the support shoes 18 and 20 against the side faces of the rail 10 through the flanges 36 and 38 and the balls 28 and 30. In its normal position, the rail is centered by the shoes 18 and 20 in such a manner that the centers of the balls 28 and 30 are aligned perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the rail 10. The longitudinal thermal movements of the rail 10 cause a sliding motion of the latter with respect to the support shoes 18 and 20. Nevertheless, small pivoting movements of the rail with respect to the fixed elements of the support members are possible in all directions. FIG. 3 shows such a rotation after which the rail 10 and the shoes 18 and 20 occupy a position 10, 18' and 20, respectively. The shoes 18 and 20 pivot about the balls 28 and 30, respectively, whereby the latter are slightly separated (as shown at 30 for ball 30). A corresponding separation of the flanges 36 and 38 then takes place against the action of the spring 44 whereby the flange 38 pivots slightly about roller 42. At the same time, the support shoes 18' and 20 are offset one with respect to the other, as shown at 18' and 20. In the oblique position, the rail remains perfectly positioned and supported by the support shoes 18 and 20 which are permanently urged in the direction of the arrows F and F by the spring 44. As the rail can freely slide between the shoes 18 and 20, any jamming is excluded.

It will be understood that the mounting operation of the support members according to the invention is particularly simple. The final step consistsin the mounting of the flange 38 on the assembly.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment in which the flange 38 is secured by means of a bolt 46 traversing the flange 36 and a conical spring washer 48.

It is a matter of course that the arrangement according to the invention permits compensation for possible deformation of the insulator 22 of the different support members of the rail.

1 While there have been described only preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent that numerous variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is to be limited only by the appending claims. 7

What is claimed is:

l. A stationary support device for a current supplying rail conductor, comprising:

a pair of opposite support shoes having confronting side faces engaging the side faces of said rail-conductor, respectively, said side faces of said shoes and of sail rail conductor being complementary shaped to permit relative longitudinal sliding moballs, confronting pairs of said wall portions of said shoes and of said flanges comprising concentric spherical sockets accomodating said balls, respectively.

3. A support device according to claim 2, one of said flanges being pivotally mounted, said clamp means comprising resilient means biasing said one flange towards the other flange.

4. A support deveice according to claim 1, said side faces of said rail conductor and of said support shoes engaging one another along dihedrally extending planes. 

1. A stationary support device for a current supplying rail conductor, comprising: a pair of opposite support shoes having confronting side faces engaging the side faces of said rail conductor, respectively, said side faces of said shoes and of sail rail conductor being complementary shaped to permit relative longitudinal sliding motion of said rail conductor between said support shoes; clamp means to urge said support shoes resiliently against said rail conductor and ball-joint means interconnecting said clamp means and said support shoes to admit of small free rotary motion of said rail conductor relative to said support device.
 2. A support device according to claim 1, said clamp means comprising a bracket including a pair of relatively moveable flanges having inner wall portions facing the outer wall portions of said support shoes, respectively, said ball-joint means comprising a pair of balls, confronting pairs of said wall portions of said shoes and of said flanges comprising concentric spherical sockets accomodating said balls, respectively.
 3. A support device according to claim 2, one of said flanges being pivotally mounted, said clamp means comprising resilient means biasing said one flange towards the other flange.
 4. A support deveice according to claim 1, said side faces of said rail conductor and of said support shoes engaging one another along dihedrally extending planes. 